I Don't Like Strawberries
by Leigh A. Sumpter
Summary: James reminds himself of all the reasons why he and Lily aren't meant for each other.


**Author Note:** I haven't written anything Marauder-era since Valentine's Day! The idea for this story came to me a little earlier today and I just had to write it. I know it's kind of a weird story, but I can't help it. I'm a sucker for the fluff! Hope you enjoy.

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**I Don't Like Strawberries**

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Sirius Black exclaimed, bursting into laughter.

"I am _not_!" James Potter protested, looking to his other friends for help. "I'm telling the truth this time. Don't any of you believe me?"

Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew exchanged looks, before Remus sighed. "We want to believe you, James, but we all know how this is going to end."

"The same way it did _last _time," Peter piped up, still proud to be among the coolest Gryffindors in the entire school. "And the time before that!"

Sirius grinned. "The day you give up chasing Lily is the day I give up being incredibly good-looking," he said, running a hand through his hair in a way that made girls swoon.

"Well, say goodbye to your incredible good looks," James told him, smiling at his friend, "because this time I am honestly, 100 percent, without a doubt, dead certain that I am over Lily Evans."

"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Remus asked, genuinely curious. Just a few months ago, James had kept him up all night talking about the pretty redhead and exactly how he felt about her. How could James completely eradicate her from his mind in such a short time?

"It wasn't too hard, actually," James responded, his expression growing somewhat smug. "When I found out she's going to be Head Girl, I realized I had to end things."

"End _what_?" Sirius laughed. "You two were never even together!"

"We were once!" James crossed his arms defiantly. "You know, that one time. Last year at Christmas."

"I hate to tell you, Prongs, but that was just because there was _mistletoe,_" Remus reminded him. "It could have been anyone."

"I'll have you know, Moony, that it was _she_ who kissed _me_," James retorted, wishing his friends would stop making him doubt his convictions. "Besides, you didn't let me finish what I was saying. I realized that if we're going to be working alongside each other this year, I'm just going to have to let Lily know that it's over. I'm done waiting for her."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Sirius muttered, winking at his fellow Marauders. "So, mate, how do you plan to keep her off your mind if you're constantly going to be together next year?"

"There are other fish in the sea, Padfoot," James asserted. "I'll have the freedom to go out with any girl in school now! Besides, in case I ever do start thinking of Lily, I've devised a plan."

"A plan?" Remus raised his eyebrows.

Peter clapped his hands together. "A plan!" he cried out in excitement. "Tell us, James."

James shrugged. "Well, you see, I've composed a list," he told his friends, "in my head. It's basically a list of reasons why I can't be with her. All of the things about her that I can't stand."

The three other Marauders burst out laughing.

"What's so funny about that?" James demanded.

Remus hesitated before responding. "You've been infatuated with her for years," he reasoned. "How many things about Lily could you possibly detest?"

"Well," James replied, "for one thing, there's her hair."

"Her hair?"

James nodded.

"But James, you've always said you loved fiery redheads!" Peter exclaimed.

"It's not the _color_ I don't like," James said. "The color is perfect… with those little specks of gold and brown. Texture's good too. Smooth."

Sirius snorted. "That's real hatred for you."

"I wasn't done," James argued. "The thing I hate is the shampoo she uses. It's strawberry-scented."

"I _like_ strawberries," Peter interjected, a hungry look growing upon his face. He grinned.

"Well, I don't," James said. "Hair isn't supposed to smell like fruit."

"What is hair _supposed_ to smell like?" asked Remus, trying to follow James' logic.

"Vegetables," Sirius answered for him. "Much more practical than fruit, you know."

"Now, vegetables are my least favorite foods," Peter told his friends. "Especially spinach. Echh!"

"But they're practical, especially for shampoo scents."

"Oh, shut up!" James interrupted, wishing his friends didn't have to joke around the one time he was trying to be serious about something. Getting over Lily was _not_ a joking matter. They would be boarding the train to Hogwarts for the very last time in just a few moments, and James knew that he would have to sit with Lily for that duration of time. He needed to be ready. "You know what I mean."

Making their way through Kings' Cross Station, the four friends finally arrived at Platform 9 ¾ and quickly passed through the barrier. They exchanged looks, knowing that next year they would not be returning, and sighed.

"We should really get on board," Remus advised the group, heading toward the train. "Prongs will have a lot to explain to Lily."

"She's probably already in the compartment," James complained as they climbed aboard. "It's annoying how she always tries to be so… _punctual_."

And sure enough, as the Marauders peeked into the Heads' compartment, they saw that James was right. Lily Evans sat comfortably, with her belongings already stowed, and was currently reading _The Daily Prophet_.

"Go on, mate," Sirius whispered to his friend supportively. "We wish you luck." He, Remus, and Peter then disappeared further down the train, and James entered the compartment reluctantly.

Lily looked up from the newspaper, folded it, and set it aside. "James!" she greeted him, her green eyes lighting up. "Come sit down!"

Somewhat sullenly, James took a seat across from her. Inwardly, he scowled – here he was, trying to forget the feelings she invoked in him, and of course she had to look bloody _perfect_. And she was _smiling_, no less! James had loved that smile since the day that he met Lily. Surely she knew that that smile of hers made him feel things that no other girl had ever made him feel before.

"How was your summer?" she asked him merrily.

It was true that the two of them had somewhat reconciled at the end of the last term after five years of fighting, but somehow her cheerfulness was a bit unsettling to him right now. He was about to tell her he was done chasing her, but she was no longer the argumentative girl he had grown so accustomed to.

"My summer was good," James told her finally. "I did a lot of thinking, actually."

"Thinking?" Lily seemed to be genuinely curious. "About what?"

James sighed. "About you, Lily." There, he said it.

Lily's cheeks flushed bright pink as James said this. James had never seen her blush before, and he had asked her out _countless_ times in the past. Surely she would think this was just another attempt at making her his girlfriend, wouldn't she?

"Now, before you go thinking I'm trying to ask you out," James continued, "I'm not. I wanted to clear the air and let you know that as of right now, I'm done chasing you."

Lily's face seemed to fall at this. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to regain composure. "You don't fancy me at all anymore?"

James shook his head.

"Oh." Lily appeared to be deeply contemplating this. She bit her lip nervously as she spoke again. "Well… I mean… I always thought… er… you don't?"

"No," James agreed. "It'll be much easier that way."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing, it'll cause a lot less conflict when we work together as Head Boy and Head Girl this year," he said. "But also, I won't have to worry about all the things about you that bother me."

"_Bother_ you?" Now Lily was annoyed. "What do you _mean_, bother you?"

"I don't like strawberries," James blurted out.

"Erm… what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?"

"Your hair," James explained. "It always smells like strawberries. And well, hair isn't supposed to smell like fruit. It makes it harder for me to concentrate when I'm around you."

"What else?"

"What else?" James repeated, confused at Lily's questioning.

"Well, there has to be _something_ else that would make you find me completely repulsive!" Lily spat. "I doubt strawberries would be that big of a turn-off."

"All right… since you _asked_… you're the toughest negotiator I ever met. Whenever we're partnered up in Potions class, you're so difficult to work with! You can never compromise on anything." James hated himself for the things he was saying. He wished it didn't have to be this way, but he didn't want Lily to think he was a complete sucker. He wanted her to know that he _would_ get over his infatuation at whatever cost. "And then there's the music. I've always hated those stupid love ballads."

"Stupid love ballads?" Lily raised an eyebrow at this. "What in Merlin's name…"

"I always hear music when you walk in the room," James continued. "I don't know why that is, but it's always those stupid love ballads and I just can't deal with that next year. I can't have those songs playing in my head while I'm doing my homework _just_ because you're in the room."

Lily's expression softened as she heard this. "You hear love ballads whenever I walk in the room?" she asked him gently.

James nodded. "And you can see how that would be a problem," he told her. "Whenever I'm with you, I feel dizzy and so completely out of my element, and naturally that would make it difficult for me to live in such close proximity to you. I would have to visit the Infirmary every day."

"Naturally," Lily agreed.

"And then," James carried on, "there's the fact that _you_ made the first move."

"But _you_ were the one who was asking me out all those years!" Lily protested.

"No matter. _You_ initiated the first kiss, even if there was mistletoe. And I'd hate to tell our children that _I_ wasn't the one to do that."

"Our _children_?"

"Well, you know. Hypothetically speaking." James sighed.

"Oh, of course," Lily replied, emitting a tiny giggle. "Hypothetically."

"So I think we understand each other," James said decisively, looking into the Head Girl's eyes. "We're going to have to be _just friends_ this year, because there are just too many aspects of a prospective relationship with you that just _bother_ me, and I don't know if I'd be able to get past them."

Without another word, Lily leaned across the compartment and kissed James softly on the mouth. Although the kiss was a considerably innocent one, James could feel the sparks flying and immediately began to regret everything he had just said. He couldn't believe Lily was kissing him – here and now, and on her own accord – but he was not about to protest, and instead he returned her kiss.

Lily broke away slowly and sat down beside James. Blushing, she took a deep breath before speaking. "What if I promised to work on those things?" she asked him quietly, squeezing his hand tightly. "Would you reconsider me? Because I did a lot of thinking as well this summer."

"Did you?" James was still focused mainly on the kiss. He wished the moment would have lasted forever, and hoped to have a repeat. "What were you thinking about, then?"

"You." Lily smiled lightly. "And the fact that I think I've been falling for you since Christmas."

"Have you now?" James grinned, rumpling his hair in that cocky way he always did.

Lily nodded. "But of course, if my shampoo scent repulses you, I understand," she said mockingly. "I'd hate to think that I was keeping you in the…"

Interrupting her mid-sentence, James leaned in and kissed Lily, this time _really_ kissing her. He let his lips linger on hers longer than the last time, and it took a while for them to break apart.

"… Infirmary," Lily finished her sentence. She smiled at James, biting her lip a little nervously. "So, what's the verdict, then? Am I too much of a health risk for you?"

James returned the smile, and ran his fingers through her hair slowly. "Nothing I can't learn to tolerate," he told her, and in that moment he loved nothing more than the smell of strawberries.


End file.
